Jun. 27, 2014 at 11:00am
City Manager's Update June 27, 2014

Pioneer Park Play Structure Replacement

The aged play structure in Pioneer Park was removed last week and installation of the new structure will start the first week in July. Given the condition of the old equipment, including some recent damage, leaving the structure in place any longer than necessary would not be in the best interest of park patrons. Thank you for your patience as we improve this central-park feature!

All Signs Point to Yes: Existing City Parking will be Easier to Locate in the Future

Back in April, staff notified the City Council of a project in the preliminary stages to improve signage for public parking in the downtown core. Since that time, the Streets Division completed a thorough inventory of existing parking signage, looked up resources on parking sign design best practices, and developed a draft plan of new parking sign placement throughout the City.

The draft parking sign plan was of key interest to the Puyallup Main Street Association (PMSA) and the Chamber of Commerce because of the close tie between parking and economic development.

City staff met with representatives of the Chamber and PMSA on June 17th to review the draft plan and get feedback. The feedback was largely favorable, though all agreed that a more comprehensive wayfinding sign program would be beneficial. With approval from the downtown business groups, the signs will go into production and be installed over the summer months.

The overall plan is based on two core concepts: Effectiveness and Efficiency. To be effective, the new signage system will use the distinctive blue “P” seen at airports and other areas with large numbers of visitors. The blue “P” is universally recognized and easy to see from a distance. This symbol will be added to existing signs at City parking lots. Overhead street signs on Pioneer, Meridian, and 3rd Street SW will also be redesigned to better inform drivers. Current parking signage will be replaced with the blue “P” so that the symbol will appear consistently throughout the downtown area. Some additional signs will also be placed on City streets to direct visitors, employees, shoppers, and restaurant patrons to parking lots that typically have available spaces. This idea originated from visitor comments shared with us from a Chamber of Commerce representative. Staff is excited to be able to partner with the downtown businesses to improve the convenience of shopping and dining in downtown Puyallup.

Ridership is Up on Puyallup’s Community Connector

Bus service on the Puyallup Connector Route began in earnest on Sunday, June 8th. The route provides service between South Hill and Downtown Puyallup and is also offering expanded summer service to the Saturday Farmer’s Market and Thursday Concerts in the Park series. “Puyallup Connector Route 425” is a one-year demonstration project. After a year, the service will be re-evaluated by Pierce Transit to ensure that there is sufficient demand for it within the community. Route and fare information is available on Pierce Transit’s website.

To help promote the Puyallup Connector, and identify Puyallup Connector stops, there are now three stops along the route with bus shelters that sport the Puyallup Connector graphics. A promotional two-week pass was also mailed to residents living approximately ½ mile along the route. The mailer included one bus pass good for free unlimited rides on any Pierce Transit local route from June 17-30. Each mailer also included an offer for a free ORCA card (a $5 value).

The chart below shows Community Connector usage for the first two weeks of service. We’re happy to report that ridership is up almost 36% over the first week!

DAILY RIDERSHIP – Week 2

06/08/2014

SUNDAY

70

06/09/2014

MONDAY

30

06/10/2014

TUESDAY

31

06/11/2014

WEDNESDAY

27

06/12/2014

THURSDAY

28

06/13/2014

FRIDAY

45

06/14/2014

SATURDAY

95

Grand Total

326

DAILY RIDERSHIP – Week 2

06/15/2014

SUNDAY

39

06/16/2014

MONDAY

45

06/17/2014

TUESDAY

60

06/18/2014

WEDNESDAY

53

06/19/2014

THURSDAY

74

06/20/2014

FRIDAY

69

*Meeker Days

06/21/2014

SATURDAY

103

*Meeker Days

Grand Total

443

PPD to Start Training on New Policy Manual

The Puyallup Police Department has started training on their new Lexipol operations policy manual. Lexipol provides policy guidelines written and updated by legal and public safety professionals who constantly monitor major court decisions, state-specific legislation and emerging trends affecting law enforcement operations. The manual has taken approximately nine months to create under the leadership of Captain Scott Engle and Administrative Secretary Kari Lucey. Many subject matter experts from the police department also assisted with the process. Training will commence over the next three months with the target implementation date set for September. This important piece of work will guide PPD for years to come.

Captain Engle, Lieutenant Ed Shannon, and Ms. Lucey are also currently working on a corrections manual that will guide the jail operations. The corrections manual is expected to be completed before the end of 2014.

2014 Clarks Creek Elodea Removal

The 2014 Elodea Management in-water work began on June 16th near the 12th Ave SW Bridge. With ramp-up and stream familiarity now complete, both Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH) boats are in operation. Work will continue in a downstream direction toward the completion point at the 56th Street E Bridge in Pierce County. As of Thursday, June 26th, 15,570 linear feet of Clarks Creek has been cleared. A total of 4,125 50-lb. bags of weed have been removed from the stream thus far.

The Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) contractor will be relocating the SR 167 steel truss bridge, to the planned temporary alignment position, on the weekend of July 11-13. This will require closure of both the northbound and southbound SR 167 (Meridian) Puyallup River Bridges. To ensure safety of motorists, it will also be necessary to close the loop roads under the bridges to through traffic. Detour information can be found at the WSDOT project website at www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr167/puyallupriverbridge.

2014 Youth Baseball/Softball Season Comes to a Close

The Post Season Tournament Championship Game for Girls 12U Fastpitch was held on Thursday June 19th, featuring the Crushers versus the Heat. The undefeated Crushers beat the Heat for the win to maintain their perfect record for the season! The Girls 10U Modified Fastpitch game, was held on June 24th, with the Crushers coming out on top over the Mariners. In the Majors Post Season Tournament game, held on June 25th, the tournament champion was the Outlaws over the Red Sox. On June 26th, the A’s triumphed over the Braves in the Minors post season tournament game. Thanks to Councilmember Steve Vermillion and Mayor John Knutsen for being in attendance to throw out the first pitch during the tournament games!

Puyallup’s popular Summer Day Camp programs “Camp Yougottawanna” and “Little Kids Kamp” started on Monday, June 23rd, with 70 kids registered for Day Camp and 9 for Little Kids Kamp. Week 1 field trips for day camp included: swimming at the PHS pool, bowling at Daffodil Lanes, and Miniature golf at Mike and Terry's.

Two specialty summer camps started on June 23rd: “Skateboard Camp” had 12 kids at various skill levels learning skills and techniques at the Puyallup Skate Park. At Clarks Creek South, 31 kids attended a week-long environmentally focused summer camp. Kids aged 5 -13 explored the local wilderness and learned traditional skills such as rope making and wildlife tracking. Additional specialty camps coming up this summer include: Cheerleading Camp, Art for Kids Camp, Engineering Fundamentals with LEGO, and multiple Skyhawks Sport Camps. Sign up for summer camp programs online or by calling the Recreation Center at 253-841-5457.

EEOP Workforce Analysis

Since the City of Puyallup receives state/federal funding in the form of grants, Human Resources must conduct a periodic utilization analysis of our workforce per the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs requirement. In reviewing our workforce, employees are counted by gender and race for each of the following job classifications: Officials and Administrators; Professionals; Technicians; Protective Services: Sworn Officials; Protective Services: Sworn Patrol Officers; Protective Services: Non-sworn, Administrative Support, Skilled Craft, and Service/Maintenance.

A copy of this report, the Equal Employment Opportunity Plans (EEOP) Short Form is available on the City’s web site. Please call Human Resources at 253-841-5551 if you have any questions.

7th Ave SW Signal and City Wide Safety improvements

Work has now begun on the 7th Ave SW Signal and City Wide Safety Improvements project. This project includes numerous intersection safety improvements, as well as a new traffic signal at 7th Ave SW and 5th St SW. The locations affected by this project can be seen on the two attached vicinity maps.

Kiwanis Kids Spray Park at Pioneer Park

Initial design of the Pioneer Park upgrades included construction of a spray park and replacement of the play structure as one project. Due to a lack of responsive bids during the March/April bid process, the two elements were separated into two contract projects to expedite replacement of the play structure. The spray park contract is currently out for advertisement, and bids will be opened on July 1. The spray park contract will be awarded in July, and construction will be deferred until after Labor Day, when park events slow down. The new Kiwanis Kids Spray Park at Pioneer Park is scheduled to open in 2015.

Tai Chi

Instructor Ronny Llanos teaches Tai Chi at the Activity Center on Monday and Thursday evenings from 5:30-6:30 pm. Medical research has found evidence that Tai Chi is helpful for improving balance and for general psychological health, and that it is associated with general health benefits in older people. Regular practice prevents the onset of illness, and has proven to be effective in the treatment of common ailments and debilitating conditions. More information on Tai Chi and other programs offered by the Puyallup Activity Center is available on the City’s website or call the Activity Center at 253-841-5555.

7th St NW Railroad Crossing Update

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) has now scheduled the 7th St NW Railroad Crossing Rehabilitation for July 8-10. The crossing will be closed beginning at 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 8th and is anticipated to reopen by the end of the day on Thursday July 10th. Please see the attached traffic control plan for planned detours and details.

This crossing was not originally planned as part of the larger crossing rehabilitation project that was completed in the City. As a credit to the cooperation and teamwork shown on the completion of the six planned crossings, BNSF requested to rehabilitate the 7th St NW crossing at no cost, in exchange for traffic control to be provided by the City. This will complete the rehabilitation of all seven crossings in downtown Puyallup.

Police/Fire partnerships

The Puyallup Police Department hosted the 2nd quarter Crime Control Round Table on June 18th at Central Pierce Fire & Rescue (CPFR), Station 7-1. CPFR Lieutenant Mike Ampe presented information on fire safety for businesses. Attendees received instruction on using a fire extinguisher and were able to practice extinguishing an actual fire.

PPD will also be partnering with Central Pierce Fire & Rescue on an emphasis patrol on July 4th from 6:00 pm – 2:00 am. Central Pierce Fire & Rescue will have two Deputy Fire Marshals assigned to handle fireworks related incidents and PPD will also have two officers dedicated to handling fireworks related calls in coordination with CPFR. These joint patrols have proven beneficial in years past. Thanks to our partners at Central Pierce Fire & Rescue!

Stunning Spokane County

On June 23-25, Puyallup seniors spent two nights and three days enjoying the outdoor recreation, dramatic vistas, and historic landmarks of Spokane County, while residing at the historic Davenport Hotel right in the heart of downtown Spokane. Trip highlights included visiting Wanapum State Park, John A. Finch Arboretum, Manito Park, Mount Spokane, Riverside Park, Indian Painted Rocks, Spokane House Interpretive Trails, Riverfront Park Sky Ride, Sun Lake Dry Falls, and Wild Horse Monument.

39th Ave SE Overlay, 10th St SE to Shaw Road

Work is scheduled to begin on July 7th and continue for about 40 working days on the 39th Ave SE Overlay – 10th St SE to Shaw Road. The project will add a 2” overlay of asphalt on 39th Ave SE. This work is important to preserve the condition of the road and prevent further deterioration of the roadway. As part of the work, sidewalk gaps will be removed within the project area, and video detection will be added to the traffic signals to meet City standards.

UNI: A Portable Early Learning Lab at the Library

UNI cubes create an interactive gathering space, with more than 30 hands-on, professionally curated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) activities, as well as books, geared towards young children and designed to answer basic STEM questions like: What’s a simple machine? How does a periscope work? What’s a simple equation? Children are invited to complete an activity card in exchange for a small prize. What happens next is simple and powerful: the parent enters the child’s world to become a partner in learning. This is a free, no-registration required, drop-in event, for young children and their families on Tuesday, July 15th, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Mark Your Calendars

· June 28 – PPD Bike Rodeo, City Hall Parking Lot, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

· July 4 – City Offices Closed, Independence Day Holiday

· July 8 – City Council Budget Meeting, Council Chambers, 6:30 pm

· July 9 – New York Times Bestselling Author Marissa Meyer, Puyallup Public Library, 6:00 pm

Leave a Comment

City of Puyallup reserves the right to delete any comments that violate the following guidelines.

Comments should:
Stay on topic--or at least close.
Be brief and to the point.
Be cordial and professional.

Comments should NOT:
Endorse or promote any person, product, or company.
Disparage or defame any person, product, or company.

Please note:
Dissenting views are encouraged. Insulting language is not.
All comments with embedded URLs will be reviewed before posting.
These guidelines are subject to review and change at any time without notice.

The City of Puyallup recognizes the importance of environmental stewardship, energy efficiency and conservation in every part of the organization.